STORAGE TIPS FOR PAPER PRODUCTS

 When one has limited storage space, you have to find ways to store items as needed.

For me it was rolls of paper products.  I have such a small kitchen and space is limited.

The first thing was my unopened rolls of waxed paper, foil, parchment paper, freezer bags, etc.  

This is an over-the-door shoe rack with 24 slots.  It hangs on my closet door.  A nifty place for such things.

Then what to do for the current rolls that are being used daily.

I have a very narrow cupboard in my kitchen beside my sink.  I found a tall cardboard carton that fits nicely.  In this manner I can set the rolls on end so they are easy to grab.  The carton itself is also easy to pull forward so I can see what I have in the carton.

It really has saved me space and hunting when the roll is needed.

I hope this idea helps at least one person besides me.

Have a good day.

WORKED ON BABY DRAGON PINK PEARL

 I am back to working on my baby dragon, Pink Pearl, just starting out in life. The wall hanging needed something more than just Pearl, so I added a couple of fairies to the scene.

                       This is Pink Pearl with her 2 friends.

I now have a border to find and that should not be difficult.  I have lots of fabrics on my shelves.

Other things happening is our monthly Potluck Dinner tonite.  It's "Breakfast for Dinner" nite.  I am bringing my Tater Tot Sausage Casserole which is a hit with my family and a few of the neighbors here.  

We have a good time at our monthly Potluck Dinners.  A bit of eating, a bit of chatting, reminiscing, and we can even take home a doggy bowl with leftovers for another meal or two.

Rain is coming our way.  The resident gardeners are happy.  Their garden plots are coming along just fine so far.  We never got a frost late this month yet so even the tomato transplants are holding up well.  I wish them continued success.

Have a good day my friends.

A WALK THRU OUR GARDEN

 Its a fine day here in Maine.  We have our spring flowers continuing to pop up bringing us some lovely color.  I cut some lilacs to put in a vase so I can enjoy their aroma for a few days.  I love the scent of lilacs.

Let's take a photo journey today......

I'll start with the lilacs I cut for myself.  They smell so darn nice.

The Creeping Phlox always does so well in spring.

Beside our back patio we have lilacs in bloom.  The early spring tulips and daffodils are already snug in their beds till next year.

Our Paper White Birch are my favorite trees here.  This section of the garden also has more lilac bushes.

In one of our personal veggie beds someone has transplanted some pretty colorful flowers to enjoy.

A few geraniums are still in bloom.

Another gardener is taking a chance by transplanting tomatoes already.  We often get frosty nights right up until Memorial Day and even into the month of June sometimes.

  

From our back patio we also enjoy the view of the river with its waterfall.  

We can also view the bridge that connects our town to the one next door.

All in all, it was a nice stroll thru the garden today.

LADY GERTRUDE AND LADY JANIS ARE FINISHED.

Lady Gertrude and Lady Janis are ready for their new homes.  

       This is Lady Gertrude for Kathy D. 14" by 16"

         Lady Janis is for Peggy L.  another 14" by 16" size.

Now I will be able to figure out what project to finish next.  It could be the teacups, the dragons, or something else.  My mind is always designing new projects to keep me busy.

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather.

My Teacup Embroidered Blocks

 I checked thru my WIP container to see what I still had there.  Lo and behold, there were 13 embroidered teacup and teapot blocks I made over 10 years ago.  They are too pretty to sit unseen, so I will make something with them in the near future.  Possibly a couple of wall hangings.  They are all 10 1/2 inches square.

                      These are blocks numbered 1-3. 

                                               Numbered 4-6

                                            Numbered 7-9

                                       Numbered 10-12

                 Here's the last one.  Doesn't that look like a face?

The dark marks could be eyelashes.  I may make this one into a single project with a smiling face with pretty red lips.  It's a thought right now.

I have added these to my latest projects to finish.  I have time to think about what I should do with them.  

I have a few ideas in my head.  I will come up with something.

Enjoy your springlike day.

Lady Nanette is finished

 I finished another Victorian Lady.

                  This is Lady Nanette for Nan, a neighbor.

I finished it yesterday.  She measures 16.5" square.  I still have another couple to finish up for neighbors.  I may be working on one of them today.  

I thought I would go through my WIP (work in progress) container.  To be honest, it's been a while since I checked it.  I found several embroidered teacups and tea pot blocks I made over 10 years ago and just put away.  There are 13 of them in all, measuring 10 1/2 inches each.  Originally I was going to make a bed quilt with them but I don't make large projects any longer and they are too pretty to sit in a box.  I may make some wall hangings with them.  Maybe a couple with 6 ladies in each.  I could hang them on my wall or my front door.

Many years ago I did some Redwork projects and then into embroidery.  I don't believe I ever kept any of them.  They were mostly for quilt forum swaps.   I am glad now that I still have these.  I am a tea drinker and I like cute teacups and pots.   These would look good on my wall. 

I have so many projects in mind I hope to live to a hundred so I can do them all.

Enjoy your day my friends.

EZ MAC N CHEESE WITH CHEEZ-ITS

 This recipe comes from my friend Judy.  Its originally a 9 x 13" casserole, but I tweaked it to 9 x 9" for my needs.

                         EZ MAC N CHEESE

You will need:  9" by 9" Casserole Dish    350* F pre-heated Oven for 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Cups Elbow Macaroni, cooked, drained, and set aside 

10 slices American Cheese 

6 Oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese, white or yellow

2 Tablespoons of pats of butter

1 Egg

3/4 Cup Milk

1/2 teas. Dry Mustard, 1/4 teas. each Salt and Pepper, or to taste

Topping:

1/4 Cup crushed Cheez-It Crackers

3 Tablespoons melted Butter

You can used white or yellow cheeses, as desired.  I used white.

Spray a 9 by 9" Casserole dish or baking pan

(Line with foil, if you want to keep the pan super clean though it's not necessary).

Pour the cooked Elbow Pasta into the casserole dish evenly.

Lay 10 slices of American cheese of your choice, evenly over the top.

Add the shredded Cheddar, evenly, on top of that.

Dab over the top the pats of butter, in smaller pieces

Mix Together:   Milk, Egg, and seasonings.  Whisk well.

Pour this over the casserole dish.  

If you are using a topping, spread it over the top now.

(To Test the crumbs, I covered only half this casserole with the Cheez-it Mix)

Bake in a pre-heated 350*F oven for 25 mins.  Edges should be bubbling.  It's done.  Allow it to set 5 mins. before serving.

I served my dish half and half to try.  The crumbs got a 'thumbs up" from my two neighbors and me.

                                     Try it. You may like it.

FINISHED 4 VICTORIAN LADIES

 I finished 4 Victorian Lady wall hangings for friends.  The suggestion is to hang on their bathroom door to denote it's a Ladies Room.  They are...

                     Lady Aimee for Sandi H.  Measures 15" by 15"

                           Lady Annabella to a good friend

Lady Bathsheba to Sharon M. 15" x 16"

Lady Penelope for Sandy P.  14" x 15"

I have 2 more promised to neighbors that are in the works, Lady Gertrude and Lady Janis.

A couple more are left and then I can work on the ones for my family.

Rain is expected today and it's a good thing.  Keeps our forests safe from forest fires.  We get ample rain each April and into May as well.  In our area we can expect a frosty night or more before June 10th.  One never knows what to expect.  After that the gardeners in my building will be planting and enjoying fresh veggies.

Stay safe my friend.

LADY ANNABELLA WH IS FINISHED

 I FINISHED LADY ANNABELLA THIS MORNING AT CRAFT MORNING, 

I ENJOY MAKING THESE WALLHANGINGS.  I HAVE SEVERAL MORE TO FINISH.

I FIND THAT A MORNING AT CRAFTS IS ENOUGH TIME TO HEM THE BINDING AND SEW ON THE LABEL.  ITS A GOOD CRAFT JOB FOR MY THURSDAYS.

ENJOY YOUR DAY.

SAUSAGE AND POTATO CASSEROLE RECIPE

  SAUSAGE AND POTATO CASSEROLE

YOU NEED: 

LARGE BOWL TO MIX ALL THE INGREDIENTS

9 BY 13 INCH CASSEROLE DISH OR BAKING DISH

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350*F

TIME TO BAKE:  50 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

1 LB PORK SAUSAGE MEAT, BROWNED

1 28-30 OZ BAG FROZEN SHREDDED HASH BROWNS,               DEFROSTED, OR TATER TOTS, DEFROSTED.

1 SMALL ONION, CHOCPPED, OR 1/2 TEASPOON ONION POWDER, AS PREFERRED

6 LARGE EGGS

1/2 CUP MILK

8 OZ SOUR CREAM

8 OZ FRENCH ONION DIP

SEASONINGS:  1/4 TEASPOONS EACH SALT, BLACK PEPPER, AND PAPRIKA

1/2 TEASPOON DRY MUSTARD 

8 OZ SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE

THAW YOUR HASH BROWNS IN THE FRIDGE THE NIGHT BEFORE BAKING.

BROWN YOUR SAUSAGE THE NIGHT BEFORE. 

IN A VERY LARGE BOWL ADD YOUR EGGS, MILK, ALL THE SEASONINGS, SOUR CREAM AND FRENCH ONION DIP.  WISK ALL TOGETHER TIL SMOOTH.

ADD THE COOKED SAUSAGE AND ONION.  STIR TOGETHER.

ADD THE HASH BROWNS AND CHEESE.  STIR EVERYTHING TOGETHER.

(THIS IS THE BOWL OF INGREDIENTS)

SPRAY YOUR CASSEROLE DISH.  I LINE MINE WITH ALUMINUM FOIL FIRST THEN USE A COOKING SPRAY.  EASIER TO CLEAN UP LATER.

POUR THE WHOLE BOWL OF INGREDIENTS INTO THE DISH AND GENTLY SMOOTH OUT.

BAKE AT 350*F FOR 50 MINUTES OR UNTIL BUBBLING ALONG THE EDGES.

LET IT COOL ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING.

MY FAMILY ENJOYED THIS.  IT CALLED FOR SECONDS.  SAME WITH A COUPLE OF MY NEIGHBORS.  ITS GOOD FOR BREAKFAST OR LUNCH. 

ON A PERSONAL NOTE: I PREFER USING TATER TOTS, WHICH SEEM TO HAVE MORE FLAVOR AND SUBSTANCE, AND ONION POWDER. 

ON ANOTHER NOTE, I WORKED ON MY VICTORIAN LADIES.  I GOT THEM BORDERED, THEN LAYERED AND PINNED READY FOR MACHINE QUILTING.

                                      LADIES TO DATE

THAT'S IT FROM MY LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD.  STAY SAFE AND HAPPY.

SPACING TIP FOR MACHINE-QUILTING STRAIGHT LINES

ITS SO SIMPLE I DON'T KNOW WHY I NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE.

CUT FABRIC STRIPS IN WIDTHS YOU CAN USE.  I HAVE ONE, 1 1/2, TWO, AND 2 1/2 INCH STRIPS ABOUT 18 INCHES LONG.  JUST LAY THE STRIP ON YOUR BLOCK AND MACHINE STITCH ALONGSIDE THE EDGE.  PIN THE STRIP THE SAME DISTANCE AWAY AND STITCH AGAIN.

THIS IS MY VICTORIAN LADY WITH STRAIGHT QUILTING LINES.  I JUST MOVED AND PINNED THE STRIP AGAINST THE LAST STITCHING TO GET 2" WIDTHS.

NO MORE HAVING TO DRAW LINES WITH DISAPPEARING INK OR WASHABLE INKS.  TOO MUCH TROUBLE IN MY BOOK.  NEVER LIKED DOING EITHER METHOD.  THIS ONE IS PERFECT FOR ME.

SO SIMPLE.  TRY IT.

HAVE A NICE DAY.

NEW PROJECTS IN PROGRESS

 I have been working on some wall hangings.  I have several Victorian Lady blocks that I have been fine-tuning with laces and ribbon.  They make perfect subjects for Craft Morning every Thursday since I can hand-quilt and hand-bind the blocks in one way or another.

This working title is Lady Blue.  I hand-quilted the block and now I am hand sewing the binding.  It makes a good Craft Morning project.

I have decided that I will use Fat Quarters for all the backings.  They will be large enough to bring forward for the binding which I can sew by hand.  

They will all be about 15" to 16" square.  A nice size for hanging on a door.   I have one on my bathroom door.  I live alone so it's perfect for the 'lady's room' designation.  I mentioned my 'lady's room' idea to the other gals and they liked the idea.  I have 14 of these Victorian lady blocks left.  I intended to use them for a large bed quilt, but I don't make the biggies any longer.  No room to maneuver a big quilt in this small apartment.  I am also at the age when working a large quilt is just too difficult.  I now make small things, like wall hangings and door hangings.

 I think I will gift one to each of our regular craft ladies for her bathroom sign.

This one is Lady Pink for now.  I need to sew down the lacy bits before I can start the hand-quilting.  

And my favorite.......

My she-dragon is satin-stitched and I have been playing with colored pencils to find which I like best.  I also tried colored markers but I don't think they will work for the shading I have planned.  I want more subtle colors. 

I need to get bold and start the shading but I am a bit wary of making an error.  I may have to practice for another day or so before I begin the dragon herself.

Well my friends, it's my day of rest so I can make the decisions tomorrow.  Stay safe.  

Finished my WH "Oscar"

 Maybe because its nearly spring I feel more like sewing.

I finished my wall hanging titled "Oscar" who is my neighbor's darling little dog.  I get to dog sit him once in awhile so I can get my 'doggy' fix.

This little guy measures 13 by 15 inches so will fit quite nicely on his apartment door.  

I have also been contemplating the design of my two young dragons.  The first is a she-dragon I will do in pink but with other colors blending along the curve lines.

I re-sketched her from an earlier version so I can add shadings of other colors in her body.

Later I will do a blue male dragon in a different pose.

These should keep me busy during these longer, sunnier days.

Stay safe and be happy.

Carousel Gold Wallhanging Finished.

 Finally, I finished my "Carousel Gold" wall hanging today.  It's on my front door for now.

It measures 14.5 " by 15" so a decent size for visibility.

Before this I was re-organizing my fabric stash on my shelves.  I finally have them in good order.  Now this does not include the many types I also have in containers in my bedroom/sewing room and walk-in closet.

My sorted fabrics are on the bottom 3 shelves on both sides. (I used the quilt on the floor for putting the fabric on to sort).  This is my fabric sorted by color and by type.  I have landscapes, florals, backgrounds, quilt backs, and then there's the colors, white thru black.

This is the pile I had for the "free" table in our "common room." 

Then I added more on top of that pile.  It freed up a lot of space for my fabrics on the shelves.

But then, I found another couple of subjects for projects, like bib aprons and circular table covers for our Common Room tables.  I thought double-sided, as in autumn on one side and Xmas on the other so they do double duty.  

My daughter phoned and while talking she is thinking of making some tote bags and my grand daughter makes doggy scarves for the shelter.  Well, I had to pull some of that fabric back.

In the end the "free" table got plenty and then they also got several quilt books I never use any longer.  They are mostly paper-piecing, log cabins, applique, and then there's a great book by Eleanor Burns.  I also had several patterns to give.

The top shelves are reserved for quilt books I kept, plus notebooks of patterns along with favorite books to read and pictures of family and things sent by friends.

Let's hope I can keep things organized a little better now than in the past, but I make no promises.  As other quilters know, when one is busy quilting, things get put back in the wrong places so a re-sort may be due next year.

Have a good day my friends.

A TRIO OF SKETCHES

 I have a trio of sketches pinned and basted to their backgrounds and main subject fabrics.

I baste the background fabric to the pattern first.  That remains in place til all the stitching is complete.  When I have to add a fabric like the subjects in these patterns, I only common pin them in place.  After stay-stitching the excess fabric has to be cut away and the common pins are easily removed at that point.

 There are two cute dragons and a neighbor's dog, Oscar.  Oscar will be a gift for my neighbor.  

I hope to work on these this afternoon after I add a binding to my Carousel Stander piece.  

Its a gray day here with rain or snow expected and gray days are not conducive to my getting much done.  I do not have much sewing mojo on days like this, but we shall see what I can accomplish.

Have a good day my friends.

SKETCHED SOME CUTE DRAGONS

I adore cute dragons so this morning I sketched a couple that i hope to make into door hangings this year.

This is one sitting down.  I think I can find some appropriate fabric for this cutie.

This is the one I did in a lying down position.  I really like both of them.  Now to find the time to make them up into something i can enjoy on my wall or door.

Wishing you a great Valentine's Day my friends.  

WORKING ON CAROUSEL HORSE WH

 I finally have my sewing mojo back.  I schedule sewing just after lunch each day.  I figure a half hour to an hour, to a good stopping point isn't too much to do before I get too tired.

I have finally satin-stitched my Carousel Stander and at Craft Morning today I hand-stitched on some lace bits.  So far so good.

Here it is so far.  I may or may not add the silver to the pole.  Still undecided on that.

I have made a new chore list that will keep me busy every day.  I need the exercise.  I have a Monthly to-do list which includes such things as scrubbing floors and cleaning the fridge one week, then cleaning the kitchen cabinets for weeks 2 and 3d and then the 4th week it's the bathroom.  These rooms include any closet in the room also.  I know that after the first initial weeks the following weeks will be easier.  It's the first week that gets the major re-organizing.  

This month I've been busy and doing a good job.

My Weekly list also got simpler once I began.  Things like scrub the floors and vacuum the rugs, dry mop the ceilings, vents, walls, and over the door jambs, clean the switch plates, clean the kitchen appliances, polish the furniture, etc.   Yup, they get easier as the weeks pass and if I get too busy, like today I am dog-sitting for a dear neighbor, I can put the weekly items off til the next week.

For me it's a good plan.  

I hope at my age I can keep up with everything but it seems to be working for now.

Stay safe and warm my friends.